In this video I went a bit off-script (as usual) and made a set of small decorative masks… and then I couldn’t help myself—I had to tell a story with them. I start right at the beginning with sketching out a bunch of different mask designs, then I build them up using cardboard and papier mâché, layering textures until they feel properly “alive” in that slightly unsettling way. After that it’s paint time, and I add little embellishments like beads to push each mask into its own personality. The whole make is tied to my dark little tale, The Many-Faced Man—a figure who shows people exactly what they need to see… until the mask slips. Each mask is meant to represent the faces we wear: kindness, sorrow, wisdom… and then that darker under-layer that we try very hard to pretend isn’t there. The takeaway is basically: you can make something cute and crafty, but if you lean into symbolism and texture, it can turn into a proper story object. Also: yes, I did include a pinch of existential dread in the supply list, because obviously I did.